While there is no doubt that the internet has been and continues to be very useful for a whole host of reasons, we are seeing signs that where information is concerned there are two distinctly different areas of access. We have seen a number of examples whereby large corporations, show business stars and politicians have been able to remove information from the internet, while the general pubic seem to be more exposed than ever before. So what really is happening?

There have been a number of instances in the recent past which include :-

Google Earth

We see more and more groups approaching Google to have certain information taken off Google Earth, and while some of this is justified, what exactly are they trying to hide from us?

Expenses

There is currently a major debate going on in the UK with regards to politician’s expenses and how they are allowed to spend tax payer’s money on second homes, travel, etc. While the public have been pushing for the release of the information for some time, the government have actually taken court action to block any publication. Again, what exactly have they got to hide?

Tax Returns

There have also been signs that many show business stars and top business people are receiving preferential treatment with regards to their tax returns. They seem to be more protected than the general public from the threat of people investigating their affairs.

These are just a small number of recent instances which have highlighted what appears to be a growing difference between the levels of protection the general public are afforded and those in more privileged situations. So while the internet has opened up a new and interesting arena for the publication of what should be general information, are we all playing on a level playing field or are the odds tilted in favour of politicians, large corporations and business people?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 10:26 am and is filed under Addresses, Business records, Public records. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.